Chuck vs the Upgrade
by jagged1
Summary: Sarah has a new mission for Chuck. If only he knew about it…
1. Prologue

_I finally went and did it – I wrote something. Pure fun. Roll around in it and enjoy, because the angsty stories are lurking in every dark corner…; )_

_Intended as a series of connected one-shots. _

_A huge thank you goes to DrMcDuck, who provided encouragement and invaluable feedback. You are a Webbed Wonder of Wisdom! _

_(And readers, if you have not read Sweet Home Alabama or the Watcher, why are you still here reading this?!) _

_A/N – I do not own Chuck. Just taking it out for a little test drive…_

________________________________________________________________________

Prologue

Sarah devises a plan

_-x-_

Sarah acknowledged that she had a screwed-up view of the world in general, and relationships in particular, but there were some things she now _knew. _This was one of them. She knew that men came in different flavors and assortments – she had sampled a _few_ – but in its simplest core, she now understood the hard way that there were essentially two kinds. There were some men, like Bryce, dangerous and exciting, but with a hardened quality that could never bend. These were the men that should transmit warning signs like "Proceed with Caution", "Dead End", or just the simple "Dip in Road."

Then, there were men like Chuck. Charming, with an achingly kind heart. He wasn't perfect, but he was _pliable_. From her vantage point on the sofa, she regarded the man in question, still wearing his pajama pants and now enjoying a bowl of sweetened cereal for lunch. He had his shortcomings, but so did she. The defining difference was that men like Chuck could be gently molded by the right woman, formed and shaped with the proper touch, and after two years, Sarah was becoming certain that she would be that woman. Oh, it was still "complicated." After being on the cusp of finally telling him her true feelings, Chuck had made the snap decision to re-Intersect himself. It was a self-sacrificing, noble, and crazy reason that only made her care more deeply for him, and they now found their status hovering in the gray space of a real-fake-for-the-cover relationship.

Sarah was not going to let these circumstances deter her. Now that she finally had accepted what her heart had told her long ago, she would bide her time, while ensuring that when all of this done, and the Intersect was removed yet again, he would be molded to exactly the man she would be spending the rest of her life with.

She gazed up at him over the book she was pretending to read. It was time to test the theory. It had to be a small start – a new haircut, new hobbies, new wardrobe, or new skills to take him out of his comfort zone: these were all possibilities. She did not want to change the endearing qualities that made Chuck 'Chuck'. Instead, she considered this an upgrade – Chuck had Intersect 2.0, now Sarah would upgrade _him _to Chuck 2.0. _This plan was not about manipulation, _she thought_. It was about using gentle, but persistent, feminine sensibilities of persuasion to…_

"Why are you looking at me like that?" He broke Sarah out of her thoughts and she returned his question with a smile. Not knowing what she was finding so amusing, Chuck returned the smile, while he attempted to smooth down his hair, and then continued to shovel in the spoonfuls of cereal.

Sarah's own version of the Man Plan was now commencing.

Little did she know that within a week, the first opportunity to upgrade Chuck's skill set would present itself.


	2. Chapter 1

T _for some innuendo, but well south of the 'Lewd Tripe' indicator on your dashboard_

_________________________________________________________________

Chapter 1

Chuck's First Upgrade

He wiped his hands down his pant legs in a long motion, closing his eyes and breathing out at the same time. _Moist hands, not sweaty palms, it is just moisture_, he told himself, _Moist…oh, who the hell am I kidding?_

"Chuck, are you okay?" Her voice jolted him back to his current dilemma.

"Sure, of course. Don't be silly."

"Well, are you ready?" Sarah leaned her head forward, turning towards him, and his eyes followed her tresses that fell past her shoulder.

_Concentrate, dammit_, he scolded himself. _No distractions. No denim miniskirt. No tank top…low-cut tank top…skirt riding up…NO. Don't screw this up. You can do this_. He grinned at her, a grin that did little to hide an awkward nervousness.

"Before we start, get yourself comfortable. It is going to take a while to get used to it."

Sarah stretched across him to find the lever that eased the seat backwards and Chuck tried not to think of all of the electrifying contact points where their bodies met. She pressed the lever and the seat rolled on its tracks until his legs were able stretch a bit.

"Better?"

"Yeah, thanks."

"Do you remember everything I told you?"

"Sarah, I am not a complete idiot, no matter what Casey says to the contrary. How hard can it be? Besides, my hand-eye coordination has been perfected, thanks our friends at Activision. And to think Ellie calls it a waste of time..."

"Those are games, Chuck. I don't know how much they will help you right now," she smirked at him.

He cleared his throat, and shifted his eyes back to the task at hand.

"How about some music?" _Music: the universal tension reliever_, he thought, as he reached forward to adjust the volume.

"Not now." Sarah put her hand over his lightly to stop him. "I want you to be able to concentrate."

"So," she tilted her head with a serious expression, "Press down. How does it feel?"

"G…good." _God, did his voice just crack and go up two octaves? This is a cluster already and we haven't even started_.

"Good?" She was smiling at him again. "It's probably a little stiffer than you are used to. I mean, this is new to you, right?"

He blew out an exasperated sigh. "I told you, Sarah. Besides, we don't have to do this…"

"No, it's alright." She averted her eyes, pointing them ahead. "Let's start, okay?"

_My God. Is she nervous too? What does she think I am going to do? _

"Okay. Remember, you need to push down all the way before you do anything else."

A slanted smile crossed Chuck's face. "I have to say Sarah, I am proud of you. I really thought that no one would ever be allowed to touch your baby."

"Well, Guinevere isn't going to like it if you don't handle her well, so try to remember what we discussed."

Chuck attempted to hold back a laugh, but it sputtered out before he could stop. "You named your car. A car. I thought Casey was the only one who did that. Though, I must say, I am impressed by the name. Damsel in distress and all…not very fitting, now that I think about it."

She knew his avoidance tactics by now, and returned a slightly reprimanding but amused stare.

He shifted his eyes forward, gazing over the pristine hood of the car. "Sarah, maybe we should rethink this whole thing. And by _we_, I mean _you_. I mean, think about it. I have managed to avoid mastering this skill for twenty-eight years…"

"Chuck…" She could not hide a smile in the warning tone.

Babbling. He had crossed the line of filling space to definite, utter, babbling. Chuck silently cursed the situation the week before that had gotten him into this mess in the first place…

_It had been planned as an evening of fake-real-cover dating, but had quickly dissolved into real-threat-of-maiming-or-death dating when Chuck had an inopportune flash. Sarah had then reached under the restaurant table to put her keys in Chuck's hand, and insisted he take her car and go to Castle. It was at that unfortunate moment that Chuck had to reveal an embarrassing Achilles' heel – one that Jill had experienced firsthand in the Ferrari on the way to their fake date. _

"_What?" she had said once he had revealed his secret. Sarah had even managed to say it in an amused tone, despite the circumstances. She decided on a fallback plan, and a few moments later, they were in her car. _

At that point, Sarah had a _new _'upgrade' mission for Chuck.

Now behind the wheel, he gulped, and then quickly shifted his eyes to look at her without turning his head. _Did she hear that? Not with the engine running. Not with the 300 or 400 or…however many horsepower she said it was. _His mind wandered back to a few hours ago, when he was stretched on his rumpled bed, as Sarah sat in his desk chair, reviewing the finer points of gear progression and clutch work. Chuck was not a car guy. His eyes had rolled back in his head from boredom. Sarah asked him if he had just flashed, or did she need to start over?

_Flash?,_he thought sarcastically. _The Intersect was being _completely useless_ right now. Need to repair a bullet hole in drywall, completely unnoticeable to the casual observer? It's in there. Build a fire using only women's panty hose and a Sharpie pen? Yep. Make a blue cheese soufflé with arsenic additive? Gotcha covered. But this? Noooooo. Nothing. Nada ._

"Relax, Chuck." Her hand was now resting on the back of his neck, with her thumb making small swirling motions around the curls over his collar. This did not help with the 'relaxing' objective. In fact, it had the opposite effect. He wanted to tell her that, but her hand was warm and soothing…and he really needed to focus _right now_.

Flexing his fingers over the wheel, and then reaching to his side, Chuck carefully positioned his hand. Sarah moved her hand to rest over his and used it to adjust the stick until she was satisfied with the position.

"Feel that? You want to get used to it. You need to be able to do that automatically."

Ignoring the place in his mind where those words had another meaning, Chuck gradually lifted one foot, while gently pressing down with the other. His efforts were rewarded with a screeching clang. They were lurched forward and back, while their heads jerked in unison. This was followed by an icy silence.

He glanced over to his now glaring passenger. "You know, there are some fine cars on the road with _automatic_ transmissions. I hear you can get a GM car very reasonable right now. You would look great in a…a Vue." _Who was he kidding? She would look great in any vehicle, _he thought_, even that piece of excrement on wheels, the AMC Pacer_. He shook his head slightly, trying to rid his memory of Morgan's Uncle Paulo's car. As kids, they thought it was a giant rolling egg, a space capsule, or a bulbous, rounded…

"Chuck?" She paused to ensure he was paying attention. "We have to be prepared with a contingency plan for any situation. You may need to take my car, or _any_ vehicle with a stick shift, for an accelerated exit strategy in a worst-case scenario. What will you do if you can't…well…accelerate?"

_Exit strategy_ – he could use one right now, as he took a fleeting look at the locked door and felt the taut seat belt around him, but Sarah was like a bulldog when she set her mind to something, and he resigned himself to humiliation at the hands of his semi-fake but super-hot – _focus dammit_ – girlfriend.

Sarah could tell that her argument was being met with skepticism. It was time for a different approach.

"Don't boyfriends usually drive on cover dates?" Sarah added playfully.

"Let's roll," he said, trying to sound convinced that this was a still a good idea.

"But first, release the emergency brake."

"Sorry."

-x-

Two hours later, the Porsche was maneuvered into a parking space at the apartment complex. Chuck turned off the engine, and twisted in his seat to face Sarah. Even in the dusk, she could see his face light up with a confident grin. She hoped he did not see her close her eyes and breathe a quick sigh of relief.

"Chuck, I am proud of you. "

"It's not the Herder, but it will do in a pinch I suppose…" he teased as he dangled the keys off of his finger before handing them to her. "Mission accomplished."

_Oh, if only he knew_, Sarah thought as she returned his smile. It was just one small baby step for Chuck's 'upgrade', with the side benefit that he would be able to drive her car on 'cover' dates…or other reasons that were not as pleasant, reminding herself of the incident in the restaurant.

Sarah's thoughts were tugged back to the present when Chuck reached to his side and absently pushed the driver's door open. He turned in his seat to face her, hesitating, and then leaned in, his eyes closed. The near kiss was interrupted by the distinctive clink of moving-door-to-stationary-car contact; Chuck realized too late he could not stop the door's motion.

"Oh, God." Not turning his head to look out the side of the car, he could see Sarah's smile drop from her face, replaced by a tight-lipped frown, and then by a look that roughly translated to a "_I am your protector, but I will not be able to save you from the rain of fury about to descend upon you_" look.

"Sarah, please tell me that I did not park next to the Crown Victoria."

Her expression did not change. The silence was broken by an almost imperceptible beeping of a sensor.

"Oh crap."

"_Damn Casey for being so protective of that car_," she muttered.

Now, it was Chuck's turn to level an amused stare.

"Chuck, get out of the car."

"That's a first."

"Do it."

Chuck scrambled out of the Porsche, with Sarah quickly joining him, just as a tactical flashlight blinded their eyes. The 'mission' had been nearly a complete success, except for the looming, growling Casey that had suddenly appeared in the parking lot to survey the damage to his beloved Vic. Not knowing that it had been Chuck driving Sarah's car, Casey made scathing comments about women drivers – _Where are some good throwing knives when you need them?,_ Sarah thought – and grumbled back to his apartment.

Chuck had tried to come to her defense: "Casey, it wasn…" Sarah raised an eyebrow at him, her mouth tight – Chuck would never hear the end of the insults if Casey knew the truth. Chuck understood the signal and closed his mouth.

_Good man_, she thought. _At least we won't have to cover those nuances of discrete messaging in the upgrade plan_. She smiled up at him as they walked through the courtyard. _But, God, he needs a haircut._


	3. Chapter 2

_I know…I know…I'm so sorry it has taken me months to update this._

_I'm fulfilling a New Year's resolution to update 'Upgrade' before S3! Now, you may need to read the short prologue again to refresh yourself on the premise; it's simply a tongue in cheek look at the 'older than the mountains' dynamic of the sexes, as applied to our happy couple. _

_Once again, the winged wonder, DrMcDuck, provided awesome feedback and a careful eye. Thank you!_

_And again, this is all in good fun and fluff, nothing more…;)_

_I love to hear your feedback._

_Disclaimers: I only play with it. This means, yes, NBC, I will turn a blind eye to your new "Chuck's been Upgraded!" promos. _

* * *

Chapter 2

The Raw Material

"Ow! That hurts!"

"Don't be a wuss, Bartowski. Coulda got it in the ass instead."

Chuck rubbed his forearm vigorously, glaring at the big man. Miffed, he looked at the small prick mark left by the injection and pulled down the sleeve of his brown shirt. He then turned his gaze to Sarah, who was leaning over the table observing him. Dressed in her mission black clothing, and hair tied back in a loose pony tail, she glanced up at the larger man who had provoked her annoyance and jumped to Chuck's defense.

"Casey, you know how he feels about needles, so just give it a rest, okay?"

Casey bit back a snide remark, dropped the syringe in a plastic baggie, and threw it in a waste can under the desk.

Sarah sat back down at Castle's conference table, laptop open in front of her. Chuck sat across from her, while Casey, still nearly grinning at Chuck's discomfort, walked around the table and sat next to the blonde.

"I still don't know why we're doing this. Beckman must hate me," Chuck muttered. "Why does she think I need Pentothal resistance training?"

Sarah spoke in her most reassuring tone. "Chuck, if you should ever find yourself in an unanticipated and dangerous situation, we need to ensure that our secrets, and more importantly, you, are safe. The Intersect can't help you with biological weapons, Chuck. That has to be _you_. The only way to train your body to fight it is through practice. This is a new derivative of Pentothal. It's an extremely small dose and fast-acting."

"Small dose?" Casey interjected, faking remorse. "Oops. But, hey, the good news is, this will be an end to the pesky Human Intersect problem. Pack your bags, Walker, we're heading back to Washington."

"Ignore him, Chuck. You should start feeling the effects within a few moments. You may also feel warm, almost hot, flashes and feel thirsty. That's all normal."

Casey pushed his chair away from the table and started to get up. "I'll get the tactical spotter – high voltage, 400 watts. This baby will burn your retinas…" he growled.

"And why would we need that?" Sarah looked up at him with a concerned expression.

"You know. Intimidation. This _is_ a simulation, right?" Casey raised an eyebrow at her. "We're not just going to sit here and ask questions, are we?"

"Casey, this is his first time. You have to be…well, not you. Gentle. Persuasive."

"Guys, really, this has been a blast so far, but-," Chuck started before being interrupted.

"Yeah, I knew we were going to get the _sissified _version of this training," Casey grumbled, and opened the white Styrofoam container that sat in front of him on the table. Two steaming burritos with chili sauce and extra beans were piled in the box. The older man glared at his teammates, and used the edge of the plastic spork to saw through the tortilla wrapped around the beans and meat.

"And we can't forget the _real_ first time with Pentothal, now, can we, Bartowski?" The large man continued. "With the Russian gymnast - the one you almost let poison all of us. What was that crap you said about my jaw-"

"Does he have to be here for this, Sarah?" Chuck blurted out. "Because he's really starting to…piss me off."

"Good." Sarah smirked at Casey. "The serum is working already."

"Can we eat first before we do this? I'm actually pretty hungry." Chuck continued. "Casey, are you going to eat both of those? You shouldn't…really."

Casey's chewing slowed as he regarded the nerd across the table. "And why the hell not?"

"All of this inactivity - the Buy More. Here." Chuck waved his hands in the air. "You're getting a little pillow-y, big guy."

Sarah had the reflexes of a cat, and she had a restraining arm on Casey before he could get up from the table.

"What? I'm just saying…Geez. When did you get so sensitive?"

"Walker, if you don't shut him up, I'm-"

"Casey, maybe it would be a good idea to take your food upstairs. The booths are more comfortable. We'll get started and you can…join us later." The staring match between the two spies was eventually won by Sarah.

Casey swiped the container of food off of the table, and began tromping up the stairs.

"Hey, Casey? When you're up there, I'd stay away from the frozen trea…"

Sarah's hand over Chuck's mouth muffled the rest of the sentence.

When they heard the steel door of Castle click to a close, Sarah removed her hand from Chuck's mouth and settled herself in the chair again. Smiling slightly, she moved the laptop to its position directly in front of her.

"Let's start, Chuck. This derivative is only going to be effective for about sixty minutes. Baby steps, right? Remember the techniques we discussed earlier. Try to break that inherent connection of mind, and well, mouth. That's how you overcome it."

"Sarah, you're asking me to not be me. I can't-."

"You can do this."

He watched Sarah and clenched his fists, then relaxed them.

Sarah's eyes shifted to the screen and scanned the questions. Chuck would be asked about falsified nuclear reactor codes that had been fed into the Intersect. She would monitor physical reaction, as well as elapsed time measures: how long it would take him before he told her the codes. The rookies always did on the first try and usually a dozen times after that until they built up a tolerance. The true purpose of the first session was to gage the receptiveness to the drug, and to determine if there were physical anomalies. It was quite routine. Introductory at best.

Sarah glanced up at Chuck to begin, and was surprised to find him staring…

"What are you looking at?"

"I'm looking at your t-."

"Chuck."

"Teeth, Sarah. What did you think I was going to say?" _All right, Walker, ignore that. Try to keep this on task…_

"Why were you looking at my teeth?"

"They're kind of…"

"What? What's wrong with my teeth?"

"Nothing. There're just a little…I don't know…" Chuck looked down at his fists, now clenched again, and whispered to himself. "God, please stop."

God decided to watch where this was going.

"Crooked." The word had burst from his mouth. "But cute-crooked!" He back-pedaled. "Adorable, even. God, I'm sorry. Really."

Chuck grimaced at what he had said, and pulled his lips together in a frown.

She watched him for a moment, pondering. She picked up a pen that had been next to the laptop, and began tapping the table with it methodically. _My teeth? I wonder what else…?_

Sarah Walker contemplated the unique opportunity that had presented itself. Her thoughts wandered to a time, hopefully in the not so distant future, when things would be different between them; when they could say good bye to the spy world, and live the life, well, the life she now knew she wanted, with the man she wanted.

_If there were ever any vague _details_ that I really wanted to know, needed to know, now _would_ be the time. What woman doesn't want to know what she is starting with? You know. The Raw Material._

_Hmmm…_

Sarah shifted in her chair and smiled lightly at Chuck. She slid the laptop over to the side, so that the screen no longer blocked any of her line of vision.

"Chuck, there are several stages of this test to determine your reaction to the serum. The first stage will be used monitor the overall progress – determining a baseline measure. This is the stage where you relax and answer questions truthfully. Don't try to fight the serum right now. I'll be recording your answers, which we can use later in our comparative measures."

"Okay….okay, I can do that." She could see him visibly relax. _Good_.

"These questions may seem a bit…odd. Remember, it's not the question that's important right now, it's your reaction we are observing. Shall we start?"

He nodded hesitantly.

"Laundry. Do you do your own laundry?"

"Wow." Chuck's face was screwed up in a puzzled look. "These questions are weird. Not what I expected…"

"Just answer them, Chuck." Sarah's voice was soothing. "Don't try to fight the serum just yet. Remember this is for comparison later. Well?"

"Yes," he breathed out a large sigh. "I do my own laundry."

"Ellie doesn't help you with that..?"

"No...no." He clenched his teeth. And then, he let out a small groan. "Well, there were a few times. I didn't have time, so I hid my things in Ellie's pile. She did them for me without knowing." Words were spewing by now. "But that was only because I was out of clean boxers, and we had so many missions, I had no time, and…my face feels hot! Can I have some water?"

"Here." She pushed a bottle of water across the table. "You may feel a bit warm as a result of the physical reaction to the serum. It's perfectly normal. You're doing great, Chuck."

"Next question. I want you to think about the things I have on under these clothes."

"Wh-What? Sarah, I need another drink of water…"

"These things are fragile, Chuck. And they were expensive. They are lavender, and lacy. How would you wash them?"

"Sarah, I…"

She leaned in and rubbed her hand down his arm, whispering. "Just answer it, Chuck. What cycle on the washing machine would you use?"

"Uh.., delicate I guess?"

"Um hmm. And to wash them: detergent or bleach?

"Oh, God."

"Just relax, Chuck," she said in that silky tone. "And answer the question: detergent…or bleach?"

"Uh. Uh…neither. It would be neither. I would use Woolite."

Sarah smiled. _Impressive. _

"OK. I just have a few more questions." Sarah glanced at the screen of the laptop, pretending to read the next one. "Do you like my car, Chuck?"

"I love your car, Sarah."

"And now, you even know how to drive it, right?"

"Yeah. You're a _great _teacher." _What was that look? Chuck has a _leer?_ I've never seen him do that before... _

"So, will you ever drive it? My car? Take her out for a little spin?"

Chuck must be getting a bit warm. She could see perspiration on his cheeks.

"Can I see the questions, Sarah, because…I don't know how to answer this…"

"My car, Chuck. My baby, the Porsche. Will you ever take her out for a drive?"

"Well, if you ask that way…no…no. I won't."

_Very perceptive, Chuck._

"Okay. What if my car, my baby, needs an oil change? And this isn't one of those quickie lube job places. This is at the dealership. Well, would you drive it then?"

"I..no..no. I wouldn't drive it then. If I can't drive it any other time, then I sure as hell am not going to take it to get-."

"Okay. Okay." She put her hand on his, and squeezed slightly. "Let's forget about the car for now."

_Hmmm. We'll have to come back to that one._

"These questions are doing strange things to my stomach. And I was so hungry for that burrito too. That's why I had to tell Casey he's getting a little thick around the middle."

Sarah bit her bottom lip to keep from smiling. "That's normal, Chuck. That's just the serum."

She looked up at the stairs. Speaking of the NSA Agent, he will be making a 'perky' appearance here soon. _Better speed this up._

"Chuck, how do you feel about cooking? What do you know how to make?"

He blinked rapidly a few times, and cleared his throat. "Well, I can make orange balsamic chicken. It was something my dad taught me. And pancakes. I make chocolate chip pancakes." Chuck's eyes took on an almost glazed cast, and looking past her, he lowered his voice. "Oh, and sandwiches. I can make any kind of sandwich - roast beef with melted gruyere on sour dough with aioli mayo-."

"Let's stop there, okay. Now, besides those things that you _can_ cook… would you like to learn more?"

Chuck retuned her look with a blank stare, and then a horrified expression spread across his face.

"Oh God, oh God, oh God. Ellie! What happened to Ellie? Is she hurt? Are you not telling me something? Is this your way of telling me that..?"

"Ellie's fine, Chuck. Relax. Please." Sarah sighed. "Remember, though, she may not always be the one to cook for you. So, do you think you could ever learn? Could you ever learn to make, say, chicken piccata?"

He looked at her warily. "Am…am I going to be able to review these answers later?"

"Chuck? We need to get through this…"

"I guess… I guess I could learn that. I mean, how different can it be from fixing a computer? Right?"

_Oh shit_. Her forehead crinkled, and she regarded those warm, honest (not that he had a choice now…) hazel eyes.

_Well, where there's a will, there's a way, as the saying goes._

"Okay. And, no, you won't be able to review these later, so you need to answer…well, you don't have a choice, so just keep answering truthfully, okay?"

"Here's the next one. It's a scenario. You have a new video game...and Morgan's coming over to play it during one of those marathon nights. But your _girl friend _wants to snuggle on the couch and watch _27 Dresses_. What do you do?"

"What's the video game?"

"What?"

"What's the game? I mean, is it one of the new releases that we haven't played yet, or is it one we've played a thousand times?"

Sarah huffed out a breath and tried to not sound miffed. _Alright. I'll go there_.

"What's the newest game you want? One you haven't played yet?"

"Halo ODST."

"Okay, it's that one. What do you do, Chuck? Halo ODST or snuggling on the couch. And, the girlfriend? Let's just say, for this scenario, it's _me_. Me or Halo, Chuck. Which is it?"

She could see him take a deep breath and blink several times. His cheeks were now flushed. "I pick you, Sarah. I can play Halo with Morgan later when you fall asleep during that movie. I mean, it's _27 Dresses_, right?

And, she observed, he grinned at her.

_Cute. I can live with that..._

"Chuck, we're going to have to move this along, and the next set of questions is on sports. Now, I know you are not necessarily into athletic pursuits, but I do need to question you on a few details."

Chuck looked nervously towards the metal staircase. "Casey sure is taking a long time to eat those burritos, isn't he?"

She cast a quick glance over her shoulder towards the stairs. "And we don't have much time until Casey comes back down here, and so we need to get through this."

"Sports. Yes. I can answer this. Well, technically, I don't have a choice, so, well, ask me, ask me anything, Sarah."

"Good. Are you a fan of, shall we say, obscure sports of any kind?"

"Uh. Obscure? Sarah, are any of these multiple choice? Because, I always did better on those…"

"That's alright, Chuck. Just concentrate on the question. _Obscure_. You know, Chuck. Curling. Synchronous swimming. Women's roller derby…"

"Wo…women's roller derby? What is that, even?"

Sarah raised an eyebrow.

"Okay." He sighed heavily. "I might have heard of that last one. But, that's only because Morgan had it on once - Oh please. Oh please. Stop talking now."

"Do you root for any sports teams?"

"The Lakers." Chuck blew out a breath. "I like to watch the Lakers. Why do my hands feel numb? Do they feel numb to you?" He closed his eyes, lamenting his inane remark. "Shutting up."

"What about the Celtics?"

The lanky man opened his wide eyes and gaped at her. "Sarah, did you hear me? I said I'm a Lakers fan, which means, by default, I hate the Celtics."

She frowned. _Well, that one, I may have to suck it up. Alright, Walker, time to move in for the kill…_

"Chuck, have there been other, you know, women, besides Jill..?"

A distinct click of the lock and the sound of scraping metal reverberated above and behind her. Sarah did not have to turn her head to know that it was Casey. She heard him plod down the steps and walk towards the conference table.

_Damn._

Sarah cleared her throat and slid the water bottle closer to Chuck's hand. He instinctively grabbed it, took a gulp, and used his palm to wipe the perspiration that was evident on his forehead.

"Well?" Casey stood next to the table with his hands on his hips, looking first at Chuck and then Sarah.

"Chuck has successfully completed the first stage with no unexpected physical symptoms," she said, pointedly.

"What about the codes?"

"Codes?" Chuck interrupted, confused. "Wh…what codes?"

Casey turned to glare at Chuck. "You know, Bartowski. The nuclear codes. How long did it take to spill your guts, give up the codes, and let a psycho send us all to oblivion? Did you last three minutes? Tell me you made it at least three minutes…"

"Sarah, why are these questions so…odd? I thought we were talking about laundry?"

"…the hell? What are you babbling about? Walker, is that nerd-speak for 'my guts were spilled in ninety seconds'?" Casey's head whipped back to glare at Chuck. "You know, the codes for 'Red Lakes Project'"

Chuck's eyelids flickered and he sputtered out the next phrase. "7-1-2-4-8-9-5 Omega Dawn."

"That's what I thought," Casey sneered.

Sarah snapped the lid of the laptop closed and stood up to face her partner.

"Casey, the results were as expected for the initial training session and I'll be sharing those in my full report tomorrow. Right now, I'm taking Chuck home, because the Pentothal should be dissipating from his system shortly, and he will need to be closely monitored for any after effects."

"Yeah…_after effects_. Next time, try to last ninety seconds, Bartowski. Right, Walker?" Casey's tone was laced with a leering sarcasm.

_Bastard._

-x-

Sarah eased the Porsche past some of the open but tight parking spots closer to the apartment entrance, and expertly maneuvered the vehicle into one of her _preferred_ empty spots. _Preferred_ because it had several open spots on either side of her car and sufficient distance from other vehicles. Satisfied that her baby would be safe there for the night, she glanced at Chuck in the passenger seat. The effects of the Pentothal had worn off, and he looked tired.

"That was a disaster, Sarah. I suck at this. I suck as a spy." She cast a sympathetic look to him as they exited the car, and slowly walked towards the apartment.

"Chuck, I told you," she said, trying to lift his spirits. "Everyone talks. Especially the first time. It took me at least a dozen times before I was able to resist the effects."

"Really?"

"Yeah, really. So, you see, if you weren't able to hold back the truth-."

"Or only hold it back once," Chuck inserted.

"-then it's okay. Wait." She stopped and reached out her hand to grasp his shoulder. "What did you say?"

"I said… I was able to hold back once."

"But, Chuck, I heard you. The codes. You spit them out to Casey like a cat with a hairball."

"Funny. That's not what I meant. That wasn't the time I was referring to."

"Well, when then?"

He stared at her and, very slowly, a smile slid onto his face.

"That's for me to know, Sarah Walker, and for you … to spend a life time figuring out."

It's hard to kiss someone _back_ when your mouth is slightly open in shock.

Sarah's mouth was still gaping slightly and her eyes wide as she watched the retreating form of her 'boyfriend.' Then, she heard a soft chuckle.

A small smile crept upon the blonde's face._ Chuck Bartowski, when did you become a spy? You were such a nice asset-_

_-nice ass..._

Sarah tilted her head.

_Hmm. But those jeans… They could be a _little_ more fitted._ _And speaking of clothes, his other things? Well, those just have to _go_. _

She smirked and picked up the pace to catch up to him. It would be a long night. She needed to review those answers again.


End file.
